Reunion of the Hermit and the Fool
by KestralLove
Summary: Akira (Protagonist) has graduated high school and returns to LeBlanc to begin his adult life. Futaba, his girlfriend, had just completed her second to last year. He surprises her with his early appearance, and the two enjoy their time alone.


Akira, who once saved the world as the leader of the phantom thieves, is arriving for the second time in Yongen-Jaya. Now he is a high school graduate, and has already accepted a position as the assistant of Toranosuke Yoshida, a politician on the rise. He aims to continue the social reform started by the phantom thieves through the political world, and is hellbent on rising through the ranks to lead the world to a better future. He believe wholeheartedly in his own justice. However, there is something even more important to him than social reform, than his future.

Futaba Sakura, his longtime, long distance girlfriend for whom he has decided he will do anything for. It has been at least a year since her saw her last, and in his excitement Akira has decided to arrive one day early, to surprise her. It's only midday and he is already on the street, only twenty feet from LeBlanc. He can already smell the coffee, it's strong and fresh, exactly how it was last summer. Now at the door, he stops, and wonders what he'll say. Through the glass he can see Sojiro, sitting on a stool with a pen and paper in hand, bent over and writing while he listens to the television. It's a nostalgic sight. For a moment Akira was taken back to his first day in Yongen-Jaya, when Sojiro, whom he was seeing for the first time, was sitting in the exact same position. With a slight grin Akira grabs the handle and pushes forward, still unsure of what to say.

"Come on in, I'll be right with you." Sojiro speaks before he looks, and Akira replies.

"How's the blend, boss?" Sojiro looks up and does a double take, but keeps as calm as ever.

"Is my calendar a day behind?" He asks with the coolness that is so strong within him.

"I came a day early. Should I come back?" Akira smirks and leans against the counter.

Sojiro stands and walks behind the counter, "Don't be stupid." He pours two cups of coffee into the usual teacups and pushes them, on their small plates, towards Akira, "She's upstairs, go on." Akira sets his bag under the counter and skillfully takes the coffee without even the slightest chances of it spilling. He heads for the stairs, but before he heads up Sojiro speaks one more time, "Welcome back." They nod to one another, both feeling something along the lines of a happiness that the return to something like normal.

Akira heads up the stairs to find his room almost exactly as he left it, save for a few piles of boxes and a thick covering of dust. Futaba has her back turns to the stairs, she is standing on the very tips of her toes attempting to dust the top of the curtains. She looks tired. She's wearing dark green shorts, her usual boots, a white tank top, and a dust covered apron. Her hair is tied up into a long ponytail that hands to her waste. She still has not noticed Akira.

Stealthily, knowing he is likely to be tackled, Akira sits down the coffee on the counter next to the stairs, then with a gentle, loving voice, he says, "Futaba."

She stops, lowers herself down to stand fully on both feet, and turns. When their eyes meet there is a shock, "Akira!" She dashed toward him and jumps completely, without hesitation. She knows he will catch her, and he does. "I missed you so much!" Both of her arms are around him, one his is around her and the other is rubbing her head the way that she loves so much. She looks up at him, her glasses have been pushed upwards and there are tears in her eyes. They look at each other and smile, then she buries her face again in his chest.

"Sojiro made us coffee, Futaba." She pulls away but leaves one hand lingering on his chest, he again picks up both cups and motions for her to follow. They move to the couch and take their seats, there is absolutely no space between them, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Futaba pulls the top of her apron over her head and leans back, then takes her cup from him.

There is a silence where for just a moment they enjoy the blissful connection, and then Akira asks, "How were your exams?" The summer had just began which meant Futaba has completed hers own a day or two prior.

"The same as always, easier than a tutorial boss!" She makes a celebrative motion with her fist and smiles. Akira laughs a little and there is again silence. Futaba has a question on her mind that has been eating away at her, but she isn't sure how to ask. She looks down and pulls her knees to her chest, sitting the way she always has. She takes a sip of her coffee and closes her eyes, smiling still. Her happiness is uncontainable, and she hopes it will never end.

"Welcome back." She whispers.

"I missed you." He says. This catches her off guard, she blushes and tightens her position, then glances at him and moves to almost being on top of him, putting her cheek against his chest, and her head just under his chin. He puts his arm around her and they are together again.

"So, are you really staying this time? For real for real?" She asks him this, already knowing the answer, and still terrified of its potential.

"Yes. I won't ever have to leave you again, Futaba." His tone is perfect, gentle and loving, yet firm, like a hand leading Futaba to happiness. When she hears her name tears begin down her cheeks, they stain his shirt and she pulls away to look toward him, eye to eye.

"Thank you… Akira, I love you." She smiles, he moves a hand to cheek and wipes away a tear.

"You said it without stuttering."

She blushes and takes another sip of her coffee to hide it, "Yeah, well, I'm not nervous anymore… Last summer, and the summer before that, we had so little time. I had to get enough of you to last a whole year! Now though… Now I can just enjoy this, enjoy us. How can I be nervous when we're finally starting our life together?" Akira only smiles, and moves closer to her, he kisses her forehead and she closes her eyes. They stay like that for a whole minute, and when he finally parts from her he leave an impression, not on her head, but on her heart. It is a brand of love, eternal. Futaba, the nervous hermit whose skin is so pale one might think her a vampire, returns the favor, she, however, does not kiss his forehead, or his cheek. She sets her drink down, leans up, she had to put both hand on his chest to keep herself from falling, and she kisses him, directly, and without fear. She leaves her own brand on his heart, and their pact is sealed. From this moment forth they will to create a world where they are happy, both, and together, forever.

She parts from him and returns to her usual position, her face deep red, pats her on the head as thanks, "I have news." She speaks softly, with a slight nervous edge in her voice. She looks up at him, and he waits for her to continue, "I started taking on some jobs. Hacking jobs." He raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything, "Well, security jobs. I've been helping major companies improve their network security."

"You're amazing." He says simply, and proudly. She pulls her smart phone out and he take a big drink from his coffee. With an expert hand she quickly opens up her banking app and shows it to him without warning. He chokes on his coffee, nearly spitting it out but managing to keep it down, and begins coughing hard. There was enough money to live like a king for five years and still not make a dent.

She puts her hand on his back and panics, "Are you okay?!" She has a worried expression that nearly breaks his heart, but also makes him smile wide, despite still having trouble breathing.

Akira takes a moment to regain himself, "You-" She stops him.

The nervous edge in her voice continues to grow, "I've been looking online at apartments, you know." Akira understands immediately what she is trying to say, but before he can respond he keeps on, "And, I don't want to leave Sojiro or anything, I did tell him I'd stay with him forever, but, there are apartments near here, only a walk away from LeBlanc!"

"Futaba." Akira speaks softly, she does not hear him.

"So maybe, you know, if you want- I mean I know you've already got a job, not that that really matters to me, whether you have a job or not-"

"Futaba." He speaks firmly this time, but still sweetly. She stops with the slightest _eek_ sound, "Let's go." He stands up and turns to her, "You coming?"

"Coming? W-where?" She's frozen, totally confused.

"Well, if we're going to move in together we should probably check out the apartment for ourselves, shouldn't we?"

Futaba blushes again, one final time, deeper than she had ever blushed before, "R-r-right." She grabs his hand and interlaces their fingers. He leads her along, the two simply tell Sojiro that they're going out, he doesn't question it. Akira and Futaba walk side-by-side, and she smiles this wide smile that seems to totally encapsulate all the love in the world. She looks onward, but he looks at her and he thinks, _I've taken the world, but all I want is her._

Then, together, they walk to the apartment complex in Yongen-Jaya. They talk about all the new things in their lives, they catch up. They smile and they laugh and they love. An attendant shows them all the open homes and they enjoy their time exploring each one.

Morgana, who had went his own way once they arrived to give Akira time with Futaba, was now following them silently, watching over them. He speaks to himself, eyes on the lovers, "That guy walked through hell for us. There is no reward that could be enough for what he did." He pauses, looks down, then back at them, "Still, if this alone is his reward then he deserves it. He'll never ask for any more than this."

A month later Futaba and Akira approached Sojiro about moving out, and in together. He was flustered, a rare sight coming from Sojiro, but understood. He didn't like it however, after all Futaba was still a high school student, at least for another year. The three of them had a long conversation about it. Sojiro knew from the beginning that it was going to happen, and he wasn't totally against it. He trusted Akira, and knew they'd be fine on their own. Still, the thought of Futaba living out of his sight, even within walking distance, made him nervous. She was his daughter, after all, it was only a natural reaction. Eventually they all decided that it would be for the best to wait one year before Futaba and Akira would move out, so that she could complete her studies, at least. Though, it would be more accurate to say that Akira and Sojiro agreed, while Futaba felt the frustration of having to wait another year to be with Akira, in the same house. Finally she sighed and agreed too, though, and the plan was set. Once Futaba had graduated they would have Sojiro's blessing to move out, to live on their own and lead their lives into adulthood. It was like a dream to Akira, it seemed too perfect.

He knew there would be troubles, that he and Futaba would disagree, make mistakes, and at times, even fight. That was an unavoidable fact of love. Still, even in a world full of imperfections, of evil desires, there was hope. There would always be hope, and as long as his hard held fast to its brand, its pact with Futaba's heart, then the world was perfect. Their love would seem them through it all, through his rise to become prime minister of Japan, through her opening of a cyber security company, through the children they would one day have, and through every speed bump, struggle, and pain they would face. They would take it all on, together.

The night after the discussion with Sojiro, Akira lay alone in his bed, readying his mind to drift off to sleep. Mona had already fallen asleep on his lap. He was excited, though, his mind dashing through the future, through all the possibilities. He had always kept a cool head but this there was nothing but excitement. So much excitement, in fact, that he had to take a moment to take a breath, he slowed his mind and said to himself, "Take your time!"


End file.
